Kenneth Wayne Pendergraft
Agency patch
Officer

Kenneth Wayne Pendergraft

Fort Worth Police Department — Fort Worth, TX
Veteran → Felonious
End of Watch April 8, 1980
Age 34
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
Badge 802
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Kenneth Pendergraft was shot and killed after confronting a suspect who was dumping garbage on his driveway at 7216 Winters in Fort Worth. Officer Pendergraft approached the driver and asked him not to dump garbage on his driveway. The suspect left but came back a short time later and opened fire with a .44 magnum pistol, killing Officer Pendergraft. Before he died, Officer Pendergraft was able to return fire, killing the suspect. Officer Pendergraft had served with the Fort Worth Police Department for 12 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, son, daughter, and two brothers, who also served with the Fort Worth Police Department.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Navy. One record, 2 gates. Kenneth is one person.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Pendergraft gave the Fort Worth Police Department 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the Fort Worth community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Pendergraft.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Other
Location Fort Worth, Denton County, TX
Platform Identity fwpd.tarrant.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 8, 1980
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
Age 34
Badge Number 802
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Military Service

Kenneth Wayne Pendergraft served in the U.S. Navy (1968–1968) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Kenneth is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
  2. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 1980, 127 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 37th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Kenneth was 34. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Kenneth had served 12 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

April holds 8.4% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Tuesdays: 13.4%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was handgun, in 23.4% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Fort Worth Police Department has 59 officers remembered here, Kenneth among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Officer Kenneth Wayne Pendergraft

Fort Worth Police Department · End of Watch April 8, 1980

Military Service

Kenneth Wayne Pendergraft served in the U.S. Navy (1968–1968) before joining law enforcement.

Visit Kenneth Wayne Pendergraft’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 24-W

Also Remembered

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